Congress workers on Friday held nationwide demonstration near the BJP headquarters across the State Capitals and elsewhere over the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024 examinations.
The demonstrations were led by State presidents and several top party leaders after senior leader Rahul Gandhi gave a clarion call to protest widely on the recent NEET and NET entrance paper leaks.
The grand old party along with other Opposition parties have decided to take on the Government right from day one of the Special session of the Parliament which begins from Monday.
The medical entrance examination, National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or NEET-UG, was conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on May 5 with around 24 lakh candidates taking part. The results were announced on June 4.
The University Grant Commission (UGC) National Eligibility Test (NET) was cancelled two days ago after inputs from the national anti-cyber-crime agency that the exam had been compromised.
There have been allegations of question paper leaks in states such as Bihar and other irregularities in the exam. The allegations have led to protests in several cities and the filing of petitions in several high courts as well as the Supreme Court.
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha on Friday said a request will be made to CM Nitish Kumar to recommend a CBI probe into the suspected links of the arrested prime suspect in the NEET "paper leak" with officials associated with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.
There are reports suggesting that the accused was also associated with RJD supremo Lalu Prasad when he was in judicial custody in Ranchi, the Deputy Chief Minister had alleged.
The EOU of Bihar Police had last month arrested 13 people as part of its investigation into the alleged paper leak in NEET-UG 2024. The arrested accused included examinees, their parents and alleged mastermind Sikander Prasad Yadvendu.
Protesting in Bhopal, senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh said corruption plagues every appointment in the BJP-led regime.
Congress alleged the National Testing Agency (NTA) chief Pradeep Kumar Joshi cancelled UGC-NET but he lied at every step in the case of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) where the future of lakhs of students is in danger, Singh alleged.
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati too demanded strict action against the main accused in the NEET-UG question paper leak.
Like other states and cities, Nagaland Congress leaders and workers too staged a demonstration over the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG and NET 2024 examination.
Co-Chairman of the Public Grievance Department of Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee, Meshenlo Kath wondered how long the Modi government at the Centre will continue to fool the people of the country.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also launched a scathing attack on the government over exam paper leaks, saying the issue has become a national problem under the BJP rule which has "ruined the future" of crores of youth.
"In the last five years, papers of 43 recruitment exams have been leaked in the country. Paper leak has become a national problem of our country under BJP rule which has ruined the future of crores of youth so far. India is the youngest country in the world. We have the largest youth population. Instead of making these youth skilled and capable, the BJP government is making them weak," she alleged.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday had attacked the Centre over the alleged irregularities in NEET and exam paper leaks issue, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi has "psychologically collapsed" post-elections and will now struggle to run the government.
He had also said the main reason for paper leaks was that educational institutions had been captured by the BJP and its parent organisation RSS. He asserted that paper leaks will not stop unless that is reversed.
